‘We’re happy to have you guys, too’: ‘Rings of Power’ showrunner responds to season 2 trolls

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showrunner J. D. Payne had the perfect response to season 2 trolls.

The Prime Video series is loosely inspired by the appendices of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and examines the history of Middle-earth. It takes place thousands of years before the movies and books and is largely set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. Critics have praised the show’s scope, ambition, and intriguing take on the franchise. However, audiences have had harsher reactions to the show since the first season. Much of the disappointment came from the fact that it’s only loosely inspired by Lord of the Rings, and thus, Tolkien’s influence isn’t as perceivable in the series.

While some viewers have genuine criticisms of the series, The Rings of Power has also attracted the typical internet trolls. Viewers have whined about the inclusivity, expressing disgruntlement that one of the leads is female and many characters are BIPOC. Their arguments that it’s not what Tolkien would’ve wanted or doesn’t do justice to his work are also unfounded, as the writer’s own estate is satisfied with the series. Fortunately, Payne isn’t bothered much by the season 2 trolling.

Showrunner addresses The Rings of Power trolls who watch every episode

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Payne had a light response to The Rings of Power trolls. After all, trolls don’t have as much power as they think, especially because of their odd practice of driving up the ratings of shows they supposedly hate. Their adverse reactions to shows are so overblown that most people won’t fall for them. Meanwhile, no matter how much they rage over a show, they still can’t resist watching it. Conservatives have supposedly boycotted the NFL dozens of times but somehow are always still watching and becoming re-offended by it. Similarly, haters of The Acolyte and The Rings of Power watch every episode religiously.

First, Payne pointed out that the positive reactions to The Rings of Power outweigh the negative. He said, “The Fellowship had to look to each other and those who support it and remember what it’s fighting for. And when we see that millions of people are watching this and responding so positively to it – that’s who we’re fighting for.” As for the trolls, they’re more than welcome to “hate-watch” the show, too. Payne stated:

And those who watch every episode and [negatively] write about it on social media and make YouTube videos, we’re happy to have you guys, too. It wouldn’t be a journey through Middle-earth without some trolls along the way.

Given that the trolls want to be seen as intimidating and fearsome, it’s comical to imagine their reactions to Payne telling them, “We’re happy to have you guys.” They’re more than welcome to keep watching and continuously pour effort into raising awareness for the show. His response isn’t much different from The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland’s response to trolls. As she pointed out, trolling is just “to be expected,” and rational Star Wars fans weren’t likely to be fooled by review-bombing tactics.

Trolls have become so predictable and insignificant that showrunners are now just openly welcoming them along for the journey.